Poverty and Inequality

Half of children’s budget spent on 73,000 children in care

12.06.18: Almost three quarters of children’s services budgets are spent on those in severe need, a report published today has revealed. According to the research carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) for the Children’s Commis...

£30m for rough sleepers as charity claims homelessness can be ‘thing of the past’ in 10 years

11.06.18: The communities secretary James Brokenshire has pledged £30m in funding to boost immediate support for rough sleepers to help them into accommodation. A total of 83 areas will share the much-needed cash boost from Brokenshir...

Manchester given green light for council-owned company to support care leavers

06.06.18: Care leavers in Manchester will be given support and guidance under a new scheme approved by the council. A new company, wholly owned and operated by Manchester City Council, will be established to support care leavers. The city will be the fir...

Local authority’s enhanced powers ‘ripe for misuse’ for convicting hundreds of homeless, new figures show

21.05.18: People sleeping rough on Britain’s streets have been fined, given criminal records, or even imprisoned due to enhanced council powers to reduce homelessness. New figures obtained in a Freedom of Information request by the Guardian hav...

Norfolk tables council tax exemption for care leavers

16.05.18: Care leavers in Norfolk could soon be exempt from paying council tax. In a proposal to be discussed by councillors next week, Norfolk County Council’s children’s services committee will hear about the financial challenges faced by c...

Three ‘internationally-proven’ Housing First pilots set to kick off

11.05.18: Three areas in England will be given financial backing to pilot projects aimed at getting rough sleepers off the streets, the housing and communities secretary has confirmed. As previously revealed by PSE, the projects in the West Midlands, Liverp...

Home Office unable to monitor progress of modern slavery clampdown, PAC says

03.05.18: The Home Office has “no means of monitoring progress” of its anti-modern slavery crackdown or if it is achieving value for money, a chilling new report has found. The review, ordered by the Commons and released yesterday, claime...

Councils turn away thousands of homeless youth due to lack of funding

03.05.18: A leading charity has today revealed that the majority of young homeless (or at risk of homelessness) people who reached out to local government were not met with “positive actions”, leading to their homelessness not “being suc...

‘Hidden homeless’ must be recognised in government figures, says charity

25.04.18: The number of people living in unsupported temporary accommodation (UTA) is almost ten times higher than official figures, research has shown. Research carried out by Justlife, ‘Lifting the lid on hidden homelessness: A new analysis,&rsqu...

Homeless families in unstable housing could top 100,000 by 2020

12.04.18: Councils are being forced to place more people in unstable temporary accommodation as they struggle to find proper housing for homeless people in their area, according an annual report. Since 2010 the estimated number of rough sleepers in Engla...

Struggling families set to be hit hardest by highest benefit cuts in five years

13.03.18: Families that are “just about managing” will be hit by the biggest year of benefit cuts since 2012, the Resolution Foundation has warned. Research by the foundation found that benefit changes set to save around £2.5bn will &ld...

London council becomes first to appoint ‘women and girls champion’

09.03.18: Islington Council is to become the first council in the UK to appoint a ‘women and girls champion.’ The council, with Plan International UK, has announced a commitment to create the new role today at its ‘International Women&...

Windsor council withdraws proposal to fine homeless

15.02.18: Windsor council has withdrawn its plans to fine rough sleepers, following backlash from the public. In a report, ‘Rough sleeping support and anti-social behaviour strategy,’ Windsor and Maidenhead Council suggested the introduction...

Pay restrictions pushing families of public sector workers below poverty line

15.02.18: One in seven children of public sector workers will be living in poverty by the end of next month, a trade unions have warned. Research by the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) revealed that since 2010, public sector pay restrictions and in-work bene...

Council apologises for historical child sex abuse that left ‘dreadful stain’ on authority

19.01.18: Nottinghamshire County Council’s leader has today apologised for historical sex abuse that took place in the authority’s children’s homes, admitting that the organisation had “failed” some of the children entrusted...